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In 2007 Hawking became the first quadriplegic to experience weightlessness on board a plane specially designed to simulate zero gravity. “I think the human race has no future if it doesn’t go into space,” he said.

What struck me was that the digital landscape referred to in the Recitals of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) isn’t the same as the technology landscape these ‘digital disruptors’ are building today.

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, blockchain (noun) is: “A system in which a record of transactions made in bitcoin or another cryptocurrency are maintained across several computers that are linked in a peer-to-peer network.”

That sounds very geeky and techie and of little relevance to the rest of us and only those with a strong interest in advanced mathematical algorithms?

The Financial Times reports this morning (Monday 12 Feb 2018) that Unilever, the world’s second-largest advertiser has warned social media giants Google and Facebook that it will pull its advertising from their platforms if they continue to ‘’foster hate’’ or fail to act responsibly in the wake of the exponential increase in offensive and unlawful content that is posted on its platforms and represents a direct assault on the rights, freedoms and interests of millions of data subjects, including children.

The climate has turned and social media giants now find themselves in a media storm where sitting back and doing nothing is no longer an option...

On Thursday 25 January 2018, the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) ruled that 30-year old Austrian privacy campaigner Max Schrems couldn’t bring a class action law suit against Facebook Ireland for what he claims was illegal use of personal data but granted him permission to challenge the social media giant’s business practices in his native Austria.

The second CJEU ruling in Schrems’ long-running legal battle with Facebook is significant for widening legal jurisdiction against Facebook Ireland by granting the right of Schrems to take legal action against Facebook Ireland in the Austrian courts.

Facebook Ireland, headquartered in Dublin, unsuccessfully argued that the matter could only be heard in Irish courts.

Apple has just issued a second customer warning for owners of its iPhones, iPads and MAC products that they are affected by a processor flaw that could leave them vulnerable to hackers.

The US tech giant urged its millions of customers to only download software from trusted sources after the security vulnerabilities, known as Meltdown and Spectre, were revealed on Wednesday.

According to the Press Association (PA News), there’s no evidence that the security flaws that affect computer processors built by Intel and ARM – have so far been exploited by hackers, although companies including Microsoft have been working to provide urgent fixes.

Apple says it had released software updates for iOS, the software on its phones and tablets, macOS, which is used by its computers and tvOS for its tele...

Supermarket giant Morrisons has been found vicariously liable for the actions of a rogue member of staff who stole the personal data of thousands of workers and posted it online in revenge for disciplinary action taken against him by the company.

On 1 December 2017, Mr Justice Langstaff at the High Court ruled that Morrisons was vicariously liable for the personal data breach that leaked their names, addresses, salaries, bank account details, national insurance and other sensitive personal data on line.

In July 2015, former internal auditor Andrew Skelton was found guilty at Bradford Crown Court of fraud, securing unauthorised access to computer material and disclosing personal data and jailed for eight years.

The trial heard that his motive appeared to have been a grudge over a previous i...